Magnifying desk lamp mounted to a "grafting desk" works great. The lamp is a 4" dia or larger lens surrounded by a fluorescent lamp. I picked one up at Lowes for $19.

Scott

Logged

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

....reading glasses from the dollar store. 3.5x is what i use, and i'll say that i feel somewhat "seasick" if i'm not careful with them (i put them on when i'm in position, and take them off before i look away from the comb).

10x is very strong (too strong for me).

a grafting tool in one hand, and an led flashlight in the other does the job for me.

An LED headlight from Walmart is even more helpful! Leaves one hand free to drink coffee, swat mosquitos, push the dog away, etc. BTW, I use 2x reading glasses from the drug store and have no problem seeing larva and eggs.

Regardless of the light or magnifying lamp, your grafting will be much easier if you put your queen you selected as your breeder on black Peirco plastic foundation in the spring.

Picking out the eggs from black foundation is better than any help from light or magnifying lamp. I do suggest you use the light and magnifying lamp, but I'm suggesting selecting eggs on white wax is difficult no matter the equipment used.

I have a pair like these that are very useful if you wear corrective lenses. You select the lens you like and it leaves your hands free to do other things. You can add external lights but keeping the magnifier lens stable is key.

i have optivisors....yet, simple $1 reading glasses from the dollar store work just as well, cost $29 less ($25 less if you buy 5 pairs of reading glasses with different magnifications), are less cumbersome, are easier to put on and take off, store more easily etc.

It sounds like you have already blown the $30 and have added $5 more for more articles to be stored away. The desk magnifier is good for something that doesn't move (including your hands). I don't think you will find one for a buck either.

When the lens is mounted to your face the focal distance doesn't change but it requires you to get in closer and closer as the magnification increases. Readers are useless for someone that has bad eyes to begin with. Options are better if your eyes are good.

anyone ever try the jewelers magnifiers? they are probably spendy. wonder if they can be found on ebay?

yup...all kinds of stuff on there!

Logged

.....The greatest changes occur in their country without their cooperation. They are not even aware of precisely what has taken place. They suspect it; they have heard of the event by chance. More than that, they are unconcerned with the fortunes of their village, the safety of their streets, the fate of their church and its vestry. They think that such things have nothing to do with them, that they belong to a powerful stranger called “the government.” They enjoy these goods as tenants, without a sense of ownership, and never give a thought to how they might be improved.....

Kathy, I tried a jeweler's loupe (the kind you have to hold in place by scrinching your eye...like a monocle) and found it to be a real pain. Nothing wrong with field of view...a cell is only so big afterall, but the focal point is only a couple of inches so you tend to block your working light. The ones that clip on to glasses might be better.

Scott

Logged

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."